Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
W H Podd of Lowestoft
VESSELS 1960-1969
WH Podd retained
PILOT JACK, JOHN WILLMENT,
LORD WENLOCK and EAGER
for a brief period.
The WH Podd fleet, from
1961/62 consisted of W.F.P., ADA KERBY
and the specially built
BRYHER, MINCARLO and ROSEVEAR
until 1969.
The Bryher, Mincarlo and
Rosevear
were built at Brooke Marine in
Lowestoft,
in 1961, 1962 and 1962
respectively.
The order was placed
30th May 1960.
They were Lloyd’s Class +A1,
flush decked type with
forecastle
and boat deck with soft nosed
stems,
well flared bows and cruiser
sterns.
BRYHER
LT 371
Official Number 302404
Steel motor trawler
98.0 x 22.4 x 10.2ft
55.97 nrt
166.45 grt
500hp 5 cylinder A K Diesel
built 1961 by Brooke Marine Ltd, Lowestoft south yard
number 279
built for W H Podd
Ltd of Lowestoft
2 Jan 1961
Launched
31 May 1961 Trials
7 Jun 1961
Registered
1968 Re-possessed
by White Fish Authority
7 Apr 1969 Sold
and Sailed for Milford
1971 owners
Norrard Trawlers Ltd., Milford Haven
Nov 1973 Broke
port landing record, £5620 –
212 kits after 13 days in
Irish Sea
1992 Sold to Supreme Fishing Co., Belfast
Typical Lowestoft weekly catch : 1,114 stone
NB a kit is a catch of 140lb tubs or 10
stone.
UPDATE
BRYHER (LT371) has been on the mud at Northam just west of
Appledore Shipbuilders shed for several years and was still there June 2007.
I quote from my (SmaShipData) monthly sales, renamings list
dated 8.2001.
"BRYHER (ex LT371-92), 166g 30,0m 500bhp m.vessel
(former trawler-92). Acquired by Glover Marine, Bideford having been abandoned
in Milford with harbour dues and other charges unpaid; part converted to
liveaboard.
Towed Bideford by Datchet, beached at Northam and intended to
strip."
Thanks to Gil Mayes for this additional information.
A photograph is added to the Picture page for Bryher.
MINCARLO
LT 412
Steel Motor Trawler
98.0 x 22.4 x 10.2ft
Official Number 303677
55.97nrt
166.45grt
500hp 5 cylinder A K Diesel
Built 1961 by Brooke Marine Ltd, Lowestoft (south yard
number 281
Built for Diesel Trawlers Ltd ( W H Podd )
Call sign GHXB
Crew of eight.
16ft lifeboat and two 12 man inflatables.
25 Sep 1961
Launched
by Mrs. Margaret Tucker,
secretary to Brooke Marine.
26 Mar 1962 Trials
completed and handed over to owners.
26 Mar 1962
Registered
16 April 1962 Skipper : Albert ( Blowgie ) Burwood.
9 Jun 1962 Damaged
in a collision with
German MV ESCHERSHEIM, on
fishing grounds.
1968 Re-possessed
by White Fish Authority
1969 Sold to
Putford Enterprises
1969 On rig
standby work
1984 Renamed
PUTFORD MERLIN
1990 Laid up in Brooke’s Yard
1991 Converted back as a trawler & opened to the
public.
Owned by the Lydia Eva &
Mincarlo Charitable Trust Ltd.
Last surviving Lowestoft built
and engined side-fishing trawler.
Due to the report on the Bryher,
this is no longer the case;
at the moment, there are now two
of these vessels.
Typical Lowestoft weekly catch : 1,328 stone
ROSEVEAR
LT 457
Steel Motor Trawler
98.0 (108.8) x 22.35 x 10.2ft
Official Number 303684
55.97nrt
166.45grt
500hp 5 cylinder A K Diesel
Built 1962 by Brooke Marine Ltd, Lowestoft south yard
number 282
Built for Inshore Trawlers Ltd ( W H Podd )
19 Feb 1962 Launched
20 Jul 1962
Registered
21 Jul 1962
Trawling Trials
6 Mar 1965 Towed
in the disabled WARBLER LT 63 (Brandon Fishing)
1968 Re-possessed
by White Fish Authority
17 Apr 1969 Sold
and Sailed to Milford ; owner Scupham
1971 owner Norrard Trawlers, Milford
Worked Milford for 14 years.
1983 Returned to
Lowestoft; owner Davey
1985 Scrapped
Typical Lowestoft weekly catch : 1,550 stone
~~~~~~~o~~o~~~~~~
Newspaper Clippings
The MINCARLO was just brand
new ….
and on the 9th June 1962
She encountered the German
Cargo ship ESCHERSHEIM
“Hard Astern” order saved trawler in North Sec collision.
How a "'Hard Astern" order saved a Lowestoft
fishing vessel from being cut in two by a German vessel was told when the
trawler MINCARLO put into port with severe damage to the upper part of her
starboard bow.
One of the newest vessels in the Lowestoft fleet, the
Mincarlo (W. H. Podd Ltd.) at 0600 on Saturday; visibility 500 yards; was in collision about 220
miles from home with the German cargo ship S.S. ESCHERSHEIM.
Members of the Mincarlo’s crew said that had the trawler
not gone hard astern, she would have been cut in two by the German vessel.
Said the Mincarlo’'s skipper. Mr, Albert Burwood:
"We watched the German, thinking she would alter
course, but when a collision appeared inevitable we went full speed astern. She
was coming at an angle and after the collision, she came to about half-a-mile
off.
Skipper Burwood added that the 5,000-ton German came back
to the trawler but they were unable to understand the shouted messages.
The crew of the Mincarlo were gutting fish when the
collision occurred but there were no injuries. The force of the collision,
however, buckled plates on the trawler's bow and forced her so far over that
water spilled over on the deck. Little damage to the German was visible. The ESCHERSHEIM was found later
in Hamburg.
13th January 1965
DRAMA BROKE OUT FOR MINCARLO
AND BRYHER
A DRAMATIC BATTLE through gale-swept seas; which had gone
on since the early hours of Sunday, ended last-evening as four Lowestoft
trawlers arrived safely back in port.
The battle began when one of them, the MINCARLO, broke
down, 80 miles from the Smith's Knoll.
A second, the BRYHER, went to her help - only to be disabled herself,
when a broken towrope became entangled in her propeller. The two other trawlers
had to go to their aid. The WARBLER took the BRYHER in tow and the BOSTON
SPITFIRE got a line on board the MINCARLO. All four vessels then ploughed
homewards through heavy seas - and all four made harbour safely.
Before coming ashore
last night, 52-year-old Skipper,
Alfred Hambly, of the BRYHER, told how he received a message from Skipper
Arnold Burwood, of the MINCARLO, at 2
a.m. on Sunday. We hauled our trawl,
and proceeded to his position, arriving
at 8 a.m. he said. "The weather was very bad at the time, with gale
force winds."
A tow was connected - and the BRYHER towed the MINCARLO
until 3 pm. when the warp parted. Another tow was joined at 5 p.m. - but an
hour later this, too, parted. While trying to pick up buffs to connect the tow,
once more, the BRYHER sustained damage to her after gallows when MINCARLO -was
blown against her, in what Skipper Hambly described as "mountainous
seas."
A warp then became entangled in BRYHER's propeller and
she, too, was helpless. “Now we have about 100 fathoms of warp on our
propeller," said Skipper Hambly.
After a radio call back to shore, more help was summoned and the WARBLER
arrived just after noon on Monday to tow the BRYHER. The BOSTON SPITFIRE
arrived later to take the MINCARLO in tow.
Once again there was a broken tow when the line connecting
WARBLER with the BRYHER snapped yesterday afternoon. It was rejoined within
half an hour and the remainder of the journey passed without incident.
Skipper Hambly, who said he had been "doing so-much
shouting I have lost my voice" paid tribute to Skipper George Quantock of
the WARBLER and skipper Victor Holmes of the BOSTON SPITFIRE and their crews
for their work over some 30 hours, “They did a good job”, he said.
A few months later, the favour
was returned,
when disabled WARBLER was towed
back to port
by ROSEVEAR. 6th March
1965.
~~~~~~~o~~o~~~~~~
Thanks for assistance from
Port of Lowestoft Research Society
and to
David Podd
Raymond
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